What’s On This Weekend In Sydney
Lizzie Scorer
Contributor | Urban List, Sydney, NSW
Eloise Luke
Contributor | Urban List
Looking for the best things to do in Sydney/Eora this weekend? There's never a shortage of exciting activities in Sydney to keep your calendar full.
Whether you want to scratch that clothes-shopping itch, settle in with a spritz, look for foodie feed, check out cool art or groove to DJ beats—we reckon you'll find something here to keep you occupied.
Here's what's on this weekend in Sydney.
Avia's Re:Purpose Series ft. Fabbrica Newtown
2 Hyde Park Road, Darlinghurst | Sunday 19 July
Image: Supplied
Avia's Re:Purpose series has made a habit of turning Sydney's most overlooked ingredients into something worth booking a table for, and this Sunday it's Fabbrica Newtown's Keir Ballantyne behind the pass. Ballantyne, who's cooked his way through kitchens like Copenhagen's 108 and the three-Michelin-starred Fat Duck, has built six dishes for the afternoon, including bluefin tuna head polpette and a stuffed Sommerlad chicken wing alongside BBQ quail. They'll sit on the menu next to six dishes from Avia's own Stefano Marano, like tubbetti with snapper head ragu and a smoky kangaroo tartare with gribiche. Order a la carte or hand the reins over with the set menu, either way, it's a rare chance to see two serious kitchens working the same ingredients from different angles.
Bondi Festival
Various Venues, Bondi | Until Sunday 19 July
Image credit: Bondi Festival | Supplied
Bondi Festival's three-week takeover of postcode 2026 is wrapping up, and this final weekend is your last chance to check it out. Comedians, musicians, artists and performers have taken over venues, stages and iconic corners of Bondi, with art installations, food stalls and live music turning up in spots you wouldn't expect. If you've been meaning to get down, this is the weekend to make it happen, once it wraps, that's it until next year.
Darlo Sake Nights At Itadakimasu Onigiri & Bar
Darlinghurst | Every Thursday, 5–6pm
Image credit: Itadakimasu | Instagram
Darlo Sake Nights at Itadakimasu Onigiri & Bar (from the team behind cult sandwich shop Sandoitchi) runs a guided tasting through three rotating sakes, led by a sake sommelier who'll talk you through the stories and flavours behind each pour. Food comes along for the ride too, with crispy chicken karaage, onigiri, fresh salad and a special soup rounding out the $49 introductory offer. It's the Japanese equivalent of a Friday knock-off drink, just moved a day earlier and done properly.
Darling Harbour Ice Rink
Palm Grove, Darling Harbour | Until Winter School Holidays
Image credit: Darling Harbour | Website
Sydney's not exactly known for its winter sports, but Darling Harbour's open-air ice rink is doing its best to change that. Set up right on the harbourfront at Palm Grove, it's part school holiday activity, part after-work excuse to lace up with your mates under twinkling lights. Penguin skating aids keep the little ones upright, so it works just as well for total beginners as it does for anyone chasing a proper winter night out with treats and entertainment thrown in. Adults are $27, kids and concession $20 and toddlers $15.
Disco Yum Cha At North Bondi Fish
120 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi | Weekends Until Saturday 1 August
Image credit: North Bondi Fish | Supplied
Winter is getting a little sunnier at North Bondi Fish, with the return of Disco Yum Cha. Running every Saturday and Sunday from 6 June, the beachside series combines seafood-driven share menus, DJs and Aperol spritzes with uninterrupted Bondi views.
The menu leans into Asian-inspired flavours, with dishes like fish and prawn siu mai, prawn toast, tuna sang choi bao and soy-cured ocean trout, while drinks include $15 Aperol Spritz specials and optional bottomless packages. Add a disco soundtrack and an ocean backdrop, and it’s basically the closest thing to summer you’ll find in this hemisphere.
Archibald, Wynne And Sulman Prizes
Art Gallery Of NSW, Art Gallery Road, Sydney CBD | Until Sunday 16 August
[Archibald prize winner] Image credit: Archibald Prize | Instagram
The Archibald winner has just been unveiled, and while you might have missed the grand ceremony, you'll be able to peruse the highly anticipated exhibition, alongside the Wynne and Sulman prizes, at the Art Gallery of NSW. With over 1000 entries, it's one of the biggest portraiture competitions in the country, the final 59 works displayed until mid-August.
The centrepiece, of course, will be the 2026 winner: Richard Lewer's portrait of Iluwanti Ken, a Pitjantjatjara Elder, senior artist and ngangkari (traditional healer), who is also a finalist for the Wynne Prize.
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Can Your Dad Stance Make History? Join This Saturday's World Record Attempt
The Calyx, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney
This Saturday 18 July from 11am–3pm, ECOVACS is inviting Sydneysiders to The Calyx at the Royal Botanic Garden to help set a Guinness World Record for the world's largest simultaneous Dad Stance. Celebrating the launch of its new outdoor robotics range, the free family-friendly event will be joined by Olympic legend Steven Bradbury, and include live product demos, a free sausage sizzle, a photo zone, and Spin to Win prizes, including ECOVACS products. To be counted in the official record attempt, dads will need to register in advance and check in by 11:30am.
Aria Snack Bar
Aria Restaurant Sydney, 1 Macquarie Street, Sydney CBD | Daily
Image credit: Aria Restaurant Sydney | Supplied
Sydney Harbour’s refined waterfront restaurant, Aria, has introduced a bougie-on-a-budget bar menu perfect for late-night dining. Highlights include a $26 Wagyu smash burger with Section 28 cheese and beer onions, $12 tuna tartare with white soy and chives, plus a $45 cheese platter with four premium Australian cheeses and seasonal pairings. Walk-ins are welcome any time, or book online daily from 8pm.
Book online
Cold Dip Club Sydney
Coogee Beach | Every Wednesday, July–August
Image credit: Cold Dip Club | Supplied
If you're keen to romanticise winter instead of hiding from it, Cold Dip Club Sydney is back. The Copenhagen-born community returns to Coogee Beach this July and August, inviting Sydneysiders to swap the snooze button for a 6:30am sunrise plunge.
Held every Wednesday morning, the free community dip is all about embracing cold-water swimming with a crowd before thawing out over a $2 coffee from nearby Bathers Coogee. Last year's sessions regularly drew more than 50 people, proving winter wellness is better with company.
Whether you're a seasoned cold-plunger or simply curious about the hype, it's an easy way to start your day—preferably with warm hands wrapped around a coffee afterwards.
Mechelle Bounpraseuth ສູ້ສູ້ Sou Sou
Art Gallery NSW, Naala Nura Building Lower Level 2 | Until February 2027
Image credit: Art Gallery Of NSW | Installation view of the exhibition Mechelle Bounpraseuth: ສູ້ສູ້ Sou Sou at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, artworks © the artist
Ceramic Indomie, Sriracha and mangosteens are taking over the Art Gallery of NSW and best believe you'll want to mark this one down in your calendar. In Sou Sou (a Lao phrase of encouragement that kind of means 'keep going', 'stay strong' or 'you can do it'), Mechelle Bounpraseuth scales up a stack of everyday pantry staples and fruit into glossy, hand-built forms with an exhibition that leans hard into the rituals around her family table, pulling from Lao heritage to frame food as something deeper than sustenance.
This one is definitely an all-ages affair where visitors can gather on floor mats, leave offerings at a fruit shrine, or add to shelves of reimagined canned goods—a cool way of showcasing how these small acts echo how culture gets passed down, held and reshaped.
No Flowers Mahjong Club
Various Sydney Locations | 16, 29, 31 July
Image credit: No Flowers Mahjong Club | Instagram
Mahjong is back in a big way, and the No Flowers Mahjong Club is keeping the tiles moving with a fresh run of June game nights across Sydney. Hosted by Liminal, these social Hong Kong-style mahjong sessions pair quick-fire rounds with drinks, snacks and plenty of mingling, with rotating tables making it easy to meet new people whether you come solo or with a crew.
This month’s dates include 16 July at Ace Hotel, 29 July at the PS40, 31st July at Precinct 75.
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Main image credit: No Flowers Mahjong
Moussaka Thursdays At Etheus
Bondi Pavilion, Shop 4 Queen Elizabeth Drive, Bondi Beach
Image credit: Etheus | Supplied
Anchored around Etheus' claypot moussaka—a generous serving of slow-cooked ground beef, eggplant, and potato baked over open flame—Moussaka Thursdays at Etheus are worth booking in for an end of week feast.
Alongside the main event, you'll be able to indulge in Greek-style sides like their grilled pita with oregano and Greek olive oil, fava split pea with pickled onion and sumac, taramosalata whipped with cod's roe and dill, and a maroulosalata of iceberg, lemon dressing and kefalotiri.
Duke’s After Hours: Adult Happy Meal
109 Cronulla Street, Cronulla | Sundays
Image credit: Duke's Providore | Instagram
Forget sad Sunday scaries—Duke’s After Hours is giving Sydneysiders something much better to look forward to. Available on Sunday nights only for $50pp, the venue’s limited-edition “Adult Happy Meal” bundles together a three-course Italian feast and a glass of wine for a fraction of what you’d normally expect to pay.
The menu starts with a cacio e pepe croquette before moving onto pan-fried lasagne layered with slow-cooked ragù, finishing with a praline tiramisu for dessert. To wash it all down, you’ll score a glass of either Mario Primo Chianti or Rosetta Toscana Bianco, making this one of the city’s most tempting end-of-week treats.
Harbourside Cinema By Pier One
Pier One Sydney Harbour, Walsh Bay | Until Wednesday 30 September
Image credit: Pier One | Supplied
Movie night just got a harbour-view upgrade. Pier One Sydney Harbour is turning its Sunset Balcony Suite into a private open-air cinema this winter, complete with blankets, waterfront views and a custom movie-night trolley.
Launching from 11 May, Harbourside Cinema lets guests choose their own film before settling in beneath the Harbour Bridge with frozen yoghurt, popcorn and an outdoor screen overlooking Luna Park and Walsh Bay. There’s also an optional comfort-food menu featuring things like gourmet hot dogs, loaded fries, cheeseboards and Wagyu burgers if you're leaning into the full night-in energy.
The experience is designed for date nights, celebrations and group hangs, with room for up to eight guests.
Cronulla Street Photobooth
1-7 Cronulla Street, Cronulla
Image credit: Cronulla Street Photobooth | Instagram
If you've got a special moment coming up, or are just keen to have a spontaneous day our, Cronulla Street Photobooth is ready and waiting to immortalise your day in film. This vintage-inspired booth is a recent addition to the local area, and well worth the potential lines. It's just $8 for three photos and two strips (pocket money, really), and a great way to add a bit of whimsy to your weekend.
Attenzione! Sunday Jazz & Dine Night
180 Redfern Street, Redfern | Sundays
Image credit: Attenzione! | Instagram
For a swish night out in Redfern backed by the soothing sounds of sax, dip into Attenzione! Food & Wine. The crew rounds out the week with a Jazz & Dine Night every Sunday. Think pizza fritta, sauce-slicked pasta and a top-tier wine list with the mood set by The Square, playing two sets at 6pm and 8pm. Walk-ins are welcome, but bookings are recommended.
Book online
Macquarie Ice Rink
Corner of Herring Road and Waterloo Road, North Ryde | Open daily
Image credit: Macquarie Ice Rink | Supplied
With the heat dialled all the way up this summer, Macquarie Ice Rink’s re-opening couldn’t have come at a better time. An inner-city institution since 1981, the Olympic-sized rink spent most of 2025 undergoing a multi-million-dollar glow-up—and now it’s officially back. Expect a pristine new ice surface, slick tech upgrades and modern amenities.
They also have a disco session every Friday and Saturday night from 8.30pm to 10.30pm. Including skate hire, all session tickets are $32 for adults, $29 for students, $28 for children under 16 years and $12 for children under 5 years with a paying adult.
The Grifter Brewing Co. Happy Hour
1/391–397 Enmore Road, Marrickville | Wednesdays–Fridays, 4pm–6pm
Image credit: The Grifter Brewing Co. | Instagram
Dialling up the summer vibes, The Grifter Brewing Co. has rolled out a sunny happy hour to celebrate the expansion of their solar power setup. The Marrickville legends are slinging $7 cold schooners and $10 chilled wines at their tasting bar from Wednesday to Friday between 4pm and 6pm.
Arms Length Bar’s Weekend Specials
7 Kellett Street, Potts Point | Friday–Sunday, 12pm until late
Image credit: Arms Length Bar | Instagram
Arms Length is bringing special after special, including their Sunday $2 Oysters and discounted Lo Fi wines to amplify those end-of-week afternoons. Seated outdoors among fairy-light wrapped branches, share as many freshly shucked oysters as your heart desires while your wallet stays happy.
The bar is also hosting DJ nights every Friday and Saturday from 6pm until late, where you can sip on happy hour drinks from 4pm and get up to groove soon after. This spot gets busy, so keep an eye on their What's On page and book yourself a spot this weekend.
China Heights Exhibitions
Level 3, 16/28 Foster Street, Surry Hills | Wednesday–Saturdays, 12pm–5pm
Image credit: China Heights Gallery | Website
China Heights is a contemporary and independent art gallery set on bringing fresh creativity to the streets of Sydney. With a rotating exhibition program constantly in progress, you can enter for free to admire and be inspired by the newest artworks displayed.
There's also a catalogue of artworks available for purchase to anyone wanting to bring a piece of the gallery home. Whether it's a creative interest or a search for quality home decor, this gallery should be the next stop on your list.
Main image credit: No Flowers Mahjong
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